 |
|
| Eidelman |
|
|
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: (Cliff
Eidelman) The final installment starring the original Star Trek crew
represented the pinnacle for the series of feature films following the
adventures of the Enterprise. With the franchise reborn on television
and the fate of the films in serious doubt (after the horrendous fifth
film in 1989), director Nicholas Meyer, who had been responsible for the
success of
Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan in 1982 (and, to a lesser
extent,
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in 1986), returned to the
series for one final, grand exit. His concern was that the series had
repeated too many of the same cliches and motifs over the past few
films, causing audiences to lose interest in a series that was
essentially beating a dead horse. The plot of
Star Trek VI: The
Undiscovered Country is a refreshing display of everything that
makes a sci-fi film great: a poetic story, a rousing villain, a
frightening new technology, and a crew of heroes fighting as underdogs
because of their aging status in a bright new future. Meyer decided that
the film should be an ominous tale of betrayal, death, capture, ancient
hatred, cloaked deception, and, of course, destruction on a planetary
scale. Because these elements deviated from the more light-hearted and
"formula-bound" films previously made, he decided to make a dramatic
decision about the film's score. Meyer opted to use a more classical
approach: Gustav Holst's "The Planets" suite. The licensing fees for
this music, though, proved extraordinary on the level that was required
to manipulate the suite for use in an entire feature film. Disgruntled
by the price, Meyer turned to the concept of using a regular composer
for the job. Despite Jerry Goldsmith's success with the previous film
(perhaps the only positive part of that production), Meyer insisted on a
fresh new sound for
Star Trek VI. He maintained that the success
of the franchise depended on its own reinvention for each entry, and
that philosophy carried over to the music. He wasn't afraid of giving a
young, new composer a chance; after all, this was the same man who
handed a little-known upstart named James Horner the opportunity to
score
Star Trek II (though Horner's success had eliminated him as
a possibility in 1991, too). Having rejected demo tapes from many
possible composers, Meyer discovered Cliff Eidelman.
More than any other, Eidelman had captured the darker
essence that the film needed, and before he had even been hired for the
position, Eidelman produced a synthesized demo of the main title
sequence. With the blessing of producer Leonard Nimoy, who was still
being criticized for his handling of the score for
Star Trek IV,
the excited Eidelman was given the job. The young composer, recently
graduated from school and with only a couple of impressive scores for
arthouse films under his belt, impressed Meyer with his ability to not
only use Stravinsky's "Firebird" as requested inspiration for the
conspiracy theme in the film, but also exercise smart judgment on how to
work his four major themes (along with a few carry-overs from previous
scores) into subtle rhythmic and fragmentary statements throughout the
film. There is no doubt that
Star Trek VI is darker than all of
its predecessors, with the vast majority of it rooted in the minor key
and the darker themes dominating the film's "Overture." The lower ranges
of the string section are the main attraction in the score, along with
brooding brass tones, an excess of militaristic percussion, and a deep
male chorus. The choral sound used to accentuate the warrior Klingon
race is a natural and intriguing method of enhancing their masculinity
while inserting some deeply rooted mystery into their intentions. There
does exist some major key fanfare in
Star Trek VI, restrained to
the two positive themes in the film, but after a brief statement of this
enthusiasm in the mandatory "Enterprise leaves dock" scene (some parts
of the franchise simply have to be repeated, for the sake of nostalgia
and awesome visual effects), the upbeat, major-key statements are mostly
limited to the final minutes of the story. While it is no surprise that
Meyer and Eidelman dumped all of Goldsmith's themes for the franchise
(dropping the Courage fanfare was simply not possible, and it's used
twice here), the most interesting aspect of the
Star Trek VI
score is Eidelman's use of one of Horner's themes from
Star Trek
II and
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. With the concept
of Vulcan integrity playing an important role in the conspiracy of this
film, hearing Horner's Vulcan theme is nothing less than
intriguing.
For the purposes of this review, the track titles and
times referenced will refer to the complete score, which doesn't suffer
from the severe edits heard on MCA's commercial album. Eidelman's four
major new themes accompany the two favorites from the past. Two of the
four are intensely dramatic in their sense of doom, either serving to
foreshadow a destiny of war or suggest imminent peril. No theme in the
history of the franchise has been as effective at this task as the
conspiracy theme. Often mislabeled as a straight representation of the
Klingons in
Star Trek VI, the conspiracy theme actually applies
to the larger political implications of what the film's tagline
described as "the battle for peace." It uses a repeating six-note
progression on low strings that follows the plot to undermine the peace
process between the Federation and Klingon Empire. By association, it
also represents General Chang (Christopher Plummer) and his newly
enhanced "bird of prey" that can launch torpedoes while cloaked. More
interesting about this theme is the fact that the rhythm is only half of
its functional whole. On top of this rolling rhythm is the actual theme,
ascending in progression as if to balance the tumultuous forces of evil
with an expression of hope. The fact that this dual theme is the
immediate opening act of the "Overture" is what immediately establishes
Star Trek VI as an atypical film in the franchise. As the theme's
rhythm gains steam, it is joined by pulsating brass, tapping snare, and
chorus, with each bar of the theme adding another section of the
orchestra until the intensity bursts with the kind of power necessary to
clearly set the stakes. This theme returns again at 2:00 into "Arrival
of Kronos One," as a (delightfully old-fashioned) Klingon battle cruiser
arrives to rendezvous with the Enterprise and accompany it to the peace
conference. It conveys a stronger sense of dread as the plot to
undermine the peace process is executed at 1:10 into "Assassinations"
and the battle cruiser threatens to retaliate at 1:00 into "Surrender
for Peace." As the plan to be rid of Captain Kirk reaches fruition in
"The Trial," the conspiracy theme, with pulsating brass, opens the
cue.
As the film shifts into its final battle sequence, the
sight of the bird of prey cloaking to lie in wait is treated with a
continuation of the conspiracy theme, heard at the outset of "The Battle
for Peace (Part I)." As General Chang blows holes through the hull of
the Enterprise, the theme reaches celebratory, orgasmic heights,
transferred finally from strings to brass (in unison) at 3:00 into "The
Battle for Peace (Part I)" and at 0:45 and 1:25 into "The Battle for
Peace (Part II)." The theme's last gasp is heard with tapping snare at
0:30 into "The Battle for Peace (Part III)," punctuated at its start by
a single toll of a chime. The theme reprises an abbreviated version of
its "Overture" format at 3:15 into "End Credits." Less obvious in the
larger picture is the actual Klingon theme that Eidelman provides for
Star Trek VI. Abandoning the percussive rhythms and harsh brass
tones of the themes that James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith had written
for the species, Eidelman provides them with a more sinister, but
surprisingly desperate identity. Like the conspiracy theme, the Klingon
theme uses an underlying rhythm of forceful determination to strengthen
an otherwise heroic harmonic progression over the top. As the story
progresses and the distrust of the Klingons inherent in the audience is
played upon by the script, the theme's darker, rhythmic half is heard
more often in fragmentary statements. A frantic rendition of the theme
is introduced at 2:10 into the "Overture," and a solo brass version
helps easily identify the idea at 0:20 into "Guess Who's Coming." The
"Surrender for Peace" cue uses the theme several times, starting at the
0:20 mark and becoming forceful in the cue's concluding 30 seconds. The
electronically aided use of the theme at 4:30 into "Escape from Rura
Penthe" reminds of the inevitable pursuers. A reprise of the full
onslaught of the "Overture" performance exists in "The Battle for Peace
(Part I)" at 2:25. The rhythm becomes split into partial performances
throughout the remainder of the final battle cues. One last major
statement follows suit at 5:10 into "End Credits." Compared to the
conspiracy theme, the one for the Klingons plays more like an action
sub-motif, which is why it's often undiscovered during casual browsing
of the score's contents.
To counterbalance the score's two overwhelmingly ominous
themes, Eidelman writes two positive ideas for
Star Trek VI. One
of them, of course, represents the Enterprise, a requirement of any
score in the franchise. Four separate permutations of this theme exist
in "Clear All Moorings," ranging from the solo trumpet performance at
0:10 to the massive ensemble expression at 0:55. This theme is not heard
from again until "Dining on Ashes," in which two far less spirited brass
solos carry the melody. It's not until the opening of "Finale" (and a
redemptive string variation at 1:20), as well as the opening and closing
of "End Credits," that listeners enjoy this theme again. In comparison
to other composers' representations of the famed vessel, Eidelman's is
only average, largely swallowed up by the score's other themes. Even the
second positive theme for
Star Trek VI comes with a caveat. On
the surface, this theme could be assumed to represent the crew, since
its most vibrant and obvious performance comes over the
signature-writing finale of the picture. But the theme more likely
represents the concept of peace, and the elusive road that this story
takes to achieve it. This peace theme only receives four significant
performances in
Star Trek VI, and two of them are ironically
translated into the minor key to aid in the expression of dread that
permeates the "Overture" (1:05) and "End Credits" (4:10). It's much
easier to appreciate the theme in its fully heroic incarnation,
reminiscent of James Horner's expansive theme for the crew. The lovely
ensemble performances at 2:20 into "Finale/Sign Off" and 0:35 into "End
Credits" are obviously meant to send off the original cast in the best
of light. The minor-key variants of the theme that help bookend the film
are so very well translated into darkness that they're not readily
obvious. It's one of the more intelligent, though likely unnoticed
aspects of the score. Two lesser ideas that Eidelman uses in the score
include a three-note suspense motif (often in pairs), heard first at
2:35 into "Arrival of Kronos One" and used frequently thereafter. It's
used as counterpoint to the ambassador motif, which is a surprisingly
uplifting and hopeful rhythmic idea heard at 1:15 into "Death of Gorkon"
and 1:25 into "The Battle for Peace (Part I)."
Two themes in
Star Trek VI carry over from previous
entries in the franchise, one of which fully expected and the other a
total surprise. The first is Alexander Courage's fanfare from the
television show, performed by solo horn at 0:40 into "Clear All
Moorings" and at 0:55 into "Finale." The two varied brass performances
backed by the full ensemble in "Sign Off" (at 2:10 and 3:50) are rowdy
and satisfying. The first of these two is likely what Dennis McCarthy
was trying to achieve in his finale for
Star Trek: Generations,
but he doesn't capture the same expansive scope or enthusiasm of this
performance. The other theme heard throughout
Star Trek VI is,
strangely enough, James Horner's Vulcan theme from
Star Trek II
and
Star Trek III. Horner used it as an interlude during his
title performances in both scores, and while it only had a minimal
impact in the cue "Spock" from
Star Trek II, it is lovely in its
extended exploration during "Returning to Vulcan" from
Star Trek
III. You first hear this theme in the form of a glass bowl effect
during the first two conversational minutes of "Arrival of Kronos One."
It is given its only truly beautiful performance during the narrative at
3:30 into "Escape from Rura Penthe," accompanying the vista shot of Kirk
and McCoy's snowy escape attempt (and this usage likely refers to
Spock's ability to track them once beyond a protective shield). A
reprise of the first treatment of the theme returns at 0:25 in "The
Battle for Peace (Part I)." It closes the philosophical "The
Undiscovered Country" with an eerie fragment. Eidelman pays one last
treatment to Horner's work with another lengthy series of statements
starting at 1:15 into "End Credits," first with solo woodwinds and
eventually extending to a full string rendition. Other minor motifs
reminiscent of previous entries exist, including one for the penal
colony of Rura Penthe, but their usage is typically restrained to a
single scene (or cluster of consecutive scenes). The score, as a whole,
is remarkably rooted in the depths of despair, except for those four or
so cues that feature the two positive themes. Never has
Star Trek
sounded so morbidly dramatic, and that dedicated sound in most of its
themes has to be strongly commended.
One of the less heralded aspects of
Star Trek VI is
Eidelman's effort to compliment the orchestra with a variety of
specialty instruments, including a collection of synthetic effects. The
otherworldly tones of the Vulcan theme in "Arrival of Kronos One" are
carried over to several suspenseful scenes later in the film (though
never so obvious until "The Undiscovered Country"). The eclectic
selection of non-Western instruments contributed in part by
orchestrators Mark McKenzie and William Kidd offer the Klingons and the
penal colony of Rura Penthe a distinctly foreign sound without resorting
to the same simplistic drum-banging used by the other composers in the
franchise. Hinted at in "Assassinations" and assisting in the moment of
panic in "Surrender for Peace," the exotic woodwinds are an integral
part of the score's tone. Eidelman inserts them at seemingly illogical
points in the story, but they work brilliantly every time. No matter
what slight electronic accompaniment he uses (especially in "Escape from
Rura Penthe," which offers several outstanding textures), he manages to
augment the orchestra without drawing any distracting attention to the
specialty accents. The score remains dominated by the orchestra's
standard instruments of the lower registers, and only at moments like
that at 4:30 into "Escape from Rura Penthe" does Eidelman skirt into the
synthetic territory of Jerry Goldsmith. Ultimately, Eidelman's use of
strong ensemble hits, often given a sharp edge by the snare, is what
remains most memorable about this score. The opening strikes of "Guess
Who's Coming" and "The Battle for Peace (Part III)" are extremely
memorable in the film, as are the strident rhythms of relentlessly
continuous hits during the height of the final battle sequence. It's a
score defined not by its theme, but by its rhythms. The perpetual sense
of churning movement is invaluable to the film's strong pacing, even in
instances such as the end of "Arrival of Kronos One," when various
rhythms that typically accompany themes are expressed in solitary
fragments. Meyer was insistent that Eidelman "got it" when it came to
the kind of propulsive music he wanted for the film, and the finished
product is clear evidence of this claim.
While conventional film score collectors and fans of
franchise tend to hold the Horner and Goldsmith scores close to their
hearts, it's difficult to discount Eidelman's contribution to the
franchise. In many ways,
Star Trek VI was the best score of the
film franchise since Goldsmith's opener in 1979, if only because it so
perfectly matched and enhanced the mood of the film. It's a truly
singular entry, which is precisely why it is both loved and shunned by
collectors. The film was the first in the franchise to really utilize
digital/surround sound effects to extraordinary levels (the film is
truly the only one with the full original cast that you can appreciate
on a surround system), and Eidelman's music contributes greatly to the
soundscape. On album, his score doesn't offer the same resounding sense
of ambience that Goldsmith's later entries do, but that is not as much a
comment on the ensemble size as it is on the mix of the recording. This
is one of those scores that definitely benefits from the addition of
some reverberation for those listeners with the software to do so.
Otherwise, there have been several suites of music from the film
(usually staying somewhat close to the "End Credits" format that is
heard in it) performed quite well by various ensembles around the world
and pressed onto disc. The original MCA release of 1991 seemed intent on
squeezing as much of the score into 45 minutes as possible, and the
resulting presentation suffers from several edits and combinations of
separately recorded cues. For the most part, all of the important pieces
were edited onto that album, though there is far better material than
"An Incident" and the second half of "Revealed" to be included from the
overall work. With the commercial album eventually going out of print,
fans of the franchise sought out the expanded score in bootleg form and,
in the 2000's, were treated to a leaking of recording sessions that not
only provided almost the entire score but also contained interesting
alternative versions of several major cues. In its complete length
during the film, Eidelman's score for
Star Trek VI runs about ten
minutes longer than the original album. Most of the benefit to hearing
the bootlegged session recordings relates to the natural separation of
each cue.
Of the material heard in the film but not included on
the commercial album, much of it consists of incidental meanderings on
low strings. Both the noble tone of "Spacedock" and the slightly
menacing tone of "The Sentencing" are really uneventful. Both "Morally
Unjust Evidence" and "Finding a Clue" are underwhelming low brass
explorations of what was better expressed in "Surrender for Peace." The
"The Mind Meld" cue is as uninteresting here as it was in Horner's
second
Star Trek film score. Two hand-to-hand combat cues are far
more intriguing, including the primordial drum rhythm of "Alien Fight"
and the Goldsmith-like, staggered rhythm of "Kirk Versus Kirk." Four
cues that really should have been included on the original album include
"Guess Who's Coming" (the most obvious omission from the MCA product),
the second half of "Death of Gorkon" (with the ambassador motif), the
subsequent "The Trial," which offers another enticing performance of the
conspiracy theme much like that heard in "Overture," and "The
Undiscovered Country," a thoughtful moment of reflection. Otherwise, you
do hear small snippets at the ends of cues, such as "Arrival of Kronos
One" that were chopped off of the MCA album for time purposes (on the
MCA album, you'll recall that this cue was merged with "Assassination").
Three film versions are included on the bootleg, including the
choir-less "Assassination" (a poor decision by Meyer?), a more
percussive version of "Rura Penthe (Part I)," and the performance of
"The Battle for Peace (Part III)" that halts during the bird of prey's
destruction (a good choice... let the sound effects alone accompany the
cheers from the theatre audience). A softer ending in "Sign Off"
(gorgeous!), slightly alternate takes on the first two "The Battle for
Peace" cues, an inconsequential alternate excerpt of "Death of Gorkon,"
a more forceful and superior version of the middle part of "Revealed,"
and a slightly more robust interpretation of "Guess Who's Coming" are
included. The bootleg is missing "The Search" (0:50 in length), which
should come after "Finding a Clue," but the 69-minute album is otherwise
fantastic (with perfect sound quality). Overall, while Jerry Goldsmith
has been immortalized as having brought the most, musically speaking, to
the
Star Trek franchise, Eidelman's score for
Star Trek VI
remains a unique powerhouse. Although the massive exposure led to some
noteworthy, subsequent projects for Eidelman, he would never achieve the
same notoriety in the decade.
***** Amazon.com Price Hunt: CD or Download
| Bias Check: | For Cliff Eidelman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating
is 3.29 (in 17 reviews)
and the average viewer rating is 3.3
(in 7,323 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.
|
The 1991 album's insert includes a note from the director about the score. The
bootlegs typically feature no packaging at all.
